Stupidest lines ever....Everyone knows Mashinter would Centre the #1 line. #rookie
- DarthKane

Personally I would have Mash on at LEAST 2 lines if not 3. Can't keep a guy like that off the ice!!

Spot on Kwolf. It made no sense to move players at the TDL when you didn't fix the problem which was the defense. Q can serenade us until he's blue in the face that the Hawks didn't win because they couldn't roll 4 lines. Not putting Mash in there for a start would have helped. But the TDL trades made no sense when Bowman didn't address his biggest need going back to last summer, which was a #4 dman. Meanwhile you lost Dano and Danault...for nada unless they somehow find the money for Ladd.
- DK002

Lets be fair about this. Who on D was available? I know Hamuis was a target, but Hamuis decided he did not want the trade. Q ran Daley off and had other options on D in the Blues series. Q had Rundblad out there in game 7 with Rozy on the bench? Rozy offers nothing in terms of O, but is way better in his own end then Run-U-R-Bad!

The biggest issue in the Blues series was the baffling line up our HC put out there the first 4 games. So not landing a D, Bowman got pieces to shore up the bottom 6. A bottom 6 that was a mess all year. And what does Q do with the bodies?? Sits them for the most part. Oh Weise got in at the end, but it was to late.

Bowman brought in some nice players to include Ladd. Alot more was in play in regards to the playoff loss then lack of a #4 D...

Wiz, do you think Vasilevsky can carry the reins from here on out if Bishop is shipped off? Kid looks to be ready but still needs to refine his game.
- 93Joe

Yeah, I think he has terrific skills toolbox, but he is young and the key is his advancement by playing hearing the critique and improving.
It is clear Gibson and Vasy are really terrific players to be starters...they have high end skills and heads.

The key to Bishop on the move is probably if the rumor that the Lightning are asking for a draft choice from a a team to let his rights until the July 1st UFA date, so the interested team can fill Steven's head with rainbows.

Personally think Yzerman can't be too happy Cooper burned bridges with both Stamkos and Drouin. In Drouin's case he simply was terrible away from the puck but Stamko took one for the team playing wing and didn't want to.
Also there seems to be more to the Cooper Stamkos disconnect that might come out.

So if Stamkos stays, Bishop seems the best option got get back the rest of their band.

It is refreshing that now, so many teams have to plan ahead because the CAP finally caught them...

Anisimov (CHI) UPDATE: previously thought to have a M-NTC, the actual breakdown is:
16-17 NMC
17-18 NMC
18-19 M-NTC

https://t.co/15NsbKz7Sf

Lets be fair about this. Who on D was available? I know Hamuis was a target, but Hamuis decided he did not want the trade. Q ran Daley off and had other options on D in the Blues series. Q had Rundblad out there in game 7 with Rozy on the bench? Rozy offers nothing in terms of O, but is way better in his own end then Run-U-R-Bad!

The biggest issue in the Blues series was the baffling line up our HC put out there the first 4 games. So not landing a D, Bowman got pieces to shore up the bottom 6. A bottom 6 that was a mess all year. And what does Q do with the bodies?? Sits them for the most part. Oh Weise got in at the end, but it was to late.

Bowman brought in some nice players to include Ladd. Alot more was in play in regards to the playoff loss then lack of a #4 D...
- z1990z

I think it was more Vancouver who hindered the Hamhuis possibility. If I recall, he said he would go to a contender, and that included Chicago. Vancouver's GM probably did not like the Hawks offer, so that stopped it.

To your point - the lineup in the playoffs is all on Quennville. Would have been nice to see Toews and some of the other stars score, but STL was the better team. Time to regroup. This week should be good.

Anisimov (CHI) UPDATE: previously thought to have a M-NTC, the actual breakdown is:
16-17 NMC
17-18 NMC
18-19 M-NTC

https://t.co/15NsbKz7Sf
- mrpaulish

Also this chatter about moving AA is pure insanity. The guy is a perfect fit at #2 C and helped Kane to an MVP type year. He goes to the net, can play the PK and is a big body down the middle. If you move AA, you create another HUGE hole on this team.

Also this chatter about moving AA is pure insanity. The guy is a perfect fit at #2 C and helped Kane to an MVP type year. He goes to the net, can play the PK and is big body down the middle. If you move AA, you create another HUGE hole on this team.
- z1990z

Agreed.



Id hate to lose Crawford but he is probably the most expensive piece that is attractive to teams on the playoff line in the east .

We've seen Bowman get rid of popular goalie before in Niemi . So ........

EVERYONE on this Hawks team is "kinda" overpaid except for Hammer, who was merely matched on that offer from San Jose as well as Keith and Hossa, whose term continues until the next century.

Toss in the fact 7 or 8 guys have NMC and it's hard to find ANY bargains the Hawks are getting.
- kwolf68

Hammer's current contract was a resign, his previous one was the offer sheet match.

Spot on Kwolf. It made no sense to move players at the TDL when you didn't fix the problem which was the defense. Q can serenade us until he's blue in the face that the Hawks didn't win because they couldn't roll 4 lines. Not putting Mash in there for a start would have helped. But the TDL trades made no sense when Bowman didn't address his biggest need going back to last summer, which was a #4 dman. Meanwhile you lost Dano and Danault...for nada unless they somehow find the money for Ladd.
- DK002

There was also a major problem on offense - a one-line scoring team, dramatically deficient in 5X5 scoring (only about 1.6 GPG 5X5 during the season, ultimately only 10 goals 5X5 in 7 games against St. Louis).

IIRC (anecdotally), at the time of the TDL moves, most of us on the boards were very happy with the moves Stan made - while perhaps lamenting the lack of a defensive fix, I recall the belief being that with Ladd, they had a legitimate 1RW; and with Fleischmann and Weise added to Kruger, Desjardins, Shaw, Teravainen, Panik, they had a deep bottom-6.

That it didn't work out was due to.... maybe Q, maybe Weise and Fleischmann not fitting in, maybe....

Also this chatter about moving AA is pure insanity. The guy is a perfect fit at #2 C and helped Kane to an MVP type year. He goes to the net, can play the PK and is a big body down the middle. If you move AA, you create another HUGE hole on this team.
- z1990z

Keeping both AA and CC creates even more holes in the line-up. Moving AA before his movement clauses kick in July 1 would be easier.
Unfortunately the reality of our cap situation leaves us few choices. Some nice piece has to go.

It is refreshing that now, so many teams have to plan ahead because the CAP finally caught them...
- wiz1901

And this here is the winning line that always gets dismissed

People LOVED the Nill "swindled" Sharp/Johns from the Hawks for nothing - yet DAL has won nothing and it won't get easier once Mr. Benn's contract comes up. And how much is he paying his netminders?

And TAMPA....had a good young core. Cooper and Yzerman couldn't win one, and now have many question marks.

PITT had the "younger" core earlier when they won one/lost one vs DET and it took how long to get back?

WASH has had the core for how long and still can't even get to the finals.

So Stan and Q...being able to win three while having to do overhauls BEFORE the Toews/Kane mega deals was amazing. And while now it has different challenges/tough decisions to make while trying to stay cap compliant....dumping a Daley, Garbutt contract a year early causes some to complain - in the bigger picture it was a great move. Had they kept both and not one the Cup this year - that would be another 4mil on the cap they'd be looking at today. I'm sure they have their plan in place and have earned the benefit of the doubt, IMO

Also this chatter about moving AA is pure insanity. The guy is a perfect fit at #2 C and helped Kane to an MVP type year. He goes to the net, can play the PK and is a big body down the middle. If you move AA, you create another HUGE hole on this team.
- z1990z

bingo...you win, buddy!

And this here is the winning line that always gets dismissed

People LOVED the Nill "swindled" Sharp/Johns from the Hawks for nothing - yet DAL has won nothing and it won't get easier once Mr. Benn's contract comes up. And how much is he paying his netminders?
- PatShart

Yeah, they have to basically do a rebuild of the defense around their farm team...imagine those rookies in front of the two Finnish goaltenders.

We have our Shaw departure worries, but I point tworad that slightly built centre on the Stars who they may have to send packing-Cody Eakin.
He has becoem a really fine NHL player and if his name comes up and I am a GM, I am finding the place for him...with the raise he needs to get.

PITT had the "younger" core earlier when they won one/lost one vs DET and it took how long to get back?
- PatShart

and right now Ben Lovejoy (who I always said was a meat n potatoes great re-acquire from the Ducks for Simon Despires) wunderkind Justin Schultz, and Daleys 3.3 is there for a year and they are the team with the least CAP space.

In regards to the Cap...this is the third year of a relatively flat cap, what do you think the league is going to do/has to do to remedy this problem?

I think they have to do something before the CBA comes up again in 2020, not just to prevent a work stoppage, but a showing of good faith.

Lets be fair about this. Who on D was available? I know Hamuis was a target, but Hamuis decided he did not want the trade. Q ran Daley off and had other options on D in the Blues series. Q had Rundblad out there in game 7 with Rozy on the bench? Rozy offers nothing in terms of O, but is way better in his own end then Run-U-R-Bad!

The biggest issue in the Blues series was the baffling line up our HC put out there the first 4 games. So not landing a D, Bowman got pieces to shore up the bottom 6. A bottom 6 that was a mess all year. And what does Q do with the bodies?? Sits them for the most part. Oh Weise got in at the end, but it was to late.

Bowman brought in some nice players to include Ladd. Alot more was in play in regards to the playoff loss then lack of a #4 D...
- z1990z

Hey Z...
No question Q's lineups were less than stellar and alluded to that in my post. When he benched Vermette and TT last year against the Ducks it was a WTF moment. I completely agree on Weise. I couldn't believe when Q put Mash in ahead of him.

As far as Stan I liked that he brought Ladd back even after the surgery he was rounding into form and led the team in hits in the series. The Ladd/Kruger/Hossa line looked real good.

And sure he tried to get Hamhuis (woulda coulda shoulda) but the problem is not who was available at the TDL. It's that Stan knew last June he needed a #4, but instead rushed out to re sign his pet Rundblad instead of figuring out a way to hang onto Oduya.

Who knows with Daley...he was hurt and Q wouldn't play him. The guy wanted out. Certainly he was better then what they had. But he shouldn't have been here in the first place. Oduya was still sitting here for the Hawks when Stan got taken to the woodshed by Nill and the Stars in that deal.

James Mirtle Verified account
‏@mirtle

Hearing there will likely be at least one trade today.

This is a TOR beat writer who is usually pretty reliable. No word of who it's with.

Hmmmm, While I do think that 3.1 is kind of an overpay for kooga, if you consider that Bolland got 3.5 several years ago and then a lot more (even after he stopped scoring and his bionic back fall apart) it is pretty reasonable.

For a defensive specialist that can play in basically all situations and take a beating, I don't mind giving him that money. At least they spent it on a guy who can do many things consistently well, even if he doesn't do anything tremendously well.

I think with more minutes and maybe Hossa spending some time on his right, you see an appropriate bump in points and minutes played. Also, he has been a very consistent player for the past few years and paying for what you know you will get is a pretty good thing in today's NHL and worth the premium.

Def not Bickell 2.0 and it is silly to say that.
- fattybeef

Disagree.....he himself, Kruger, mentioned his wrist still wasn't right and unsure if it EVER would be 100%. Based on his draws in the playoffs, and requirement to drop way low for added leverage, I wonder....

Bolland offered you everything Kruger is, but also offered consistent depth scoring and ability to score in the playoffs. Something Kruger has not been able to do.

Not going to rehash the past, but on a team very top heavy in regards to salary hard to fathom you pay a defensive specialist 3+ million AAV. And late in game 7, it wasn't Kruger who centered 16/81, it was Shaw when the hawks needed a goal. Big statement from your coach right there.....

@stapenewsday:
Slight adjustment: NHL home openers will be announced today at noon. Full schedule tomorrow.

There was also a major problem on offense - a one-line scoring team, dramatically deficient in 5X5 scoring (only about 1.6 GPG 5X5 during the season, ultimately only 10 goals 5X5 in 7 games against St. Louis).

IIRC (anecdotally), at the time of the TDL moves, most of us on the boards were very happy with the moves Stan made - while perhaps lamenting the lack of a defensive fix, I recall the belief being that with Ladd, they had a legitimate 1RW; and with Fleischmann and Weise added to Kruger, Desjardins, Shaw, Teravainen, Panik, they had a deep bottom-6.

That it didn't work out was due to.... maybe Q, maybe Weise and Fleischmann not fitting in, maybe....
- StLBravesFan

I would agree with this. I liked the addition of Weiss, but he seemed to play a little too out of control for Q's liking, much like Garbutt.

This is exactly why, as you stated, with those stats it's hard to say this team was a shoe In for long term playoff success. The larger sample size showed they couldn't generate enough 5 on 5, and probably why we saw a lot more tinkering with lines from Q in the playoffs, to try and right the ship.

Line balance is something this team better find quickly in 2016-17.

Mr. ricochet, I have seen Freddy O play a few times. Two things that jumped out at me right away were his speed and size. When lined up for drills with other Omaha Mavericks, I thought to myself, who's the really big kid ? Then quickly realized its Oloffson. He plays every shift hard and is definitely a gamer. Hes not a great finisher yet but I think his numbers will improve as he adjusts to the NCAA level. His speed is as advertised, he flys all over the ice. He is primed for a jump in production in his sophomore season.

I have not seen the Kuraly kid play. I did not go when Miami was in town.

ChrisKuc's avatar
Chris Kuc
@ChrisKuc
#Blackhawks' home opener will be Oct. 12 vs. Blues.
The rest of the schedule will be announced at noon on Tuesday.

James Mirtle Verified account
‏@mirtle

Hearing there will likely be at least one trade today.

This is a TOR beat writer who is usually pretty reliable. No word of who it's with.
- JRoenick97

And this -- Leafs Are Open For Business - LeBrun
http://espn.go.com/blog/n...afs-are-open-for-business

Hope everyone had a great Father's day as I know I did.

it's impossible to ignore the cap issues this year along with 2017-18. panarin will be a massive hit assuming he hits his schedule A bonus, and based on what we saw this year, I bet he will. That's at least 7-8 million minimum.

I agree with JJ. If I were Shaw, I would NOT accept a 1 year deal. Kruger got hurt with a significant wrist injury this year, and if the hawks don't extend him, I don't know if the open market pays him 3.1 on a soft cap increase this year.

While we can hope Shaw will give the hawks a discount, the PA needs Shaw to cash in and so each client is different with an agent and a team so regardless of what Brisson dealings with Stan are with 19/88, this is a completely different rounds of talks.

If Ladd wants to say, a big money guy has to go. If Ladd doesn't stay, a big money guy has to go either now OR next summer to offset Panarin's bump.

As far as Campbell goes, to have a chance to win is nice, but this team isn't getting barely tweaked like 2014, heading into 2015 when Richards signed here. There is a fair amount of turnover and to Campbell, he probably waits and sees where the team is roster wise before deciding......I know I would. West is way more competitive then the east, and Talon with cap space will overpay to land a big fish to that group in Miami. They may not be better on paper, Florida, then the Hawks, but their ability to come out of the east with the right ads could be easier then the Hawks in the west. That's where Campbell has to wait and see.

Glad they signed Schmaltz and sure he will get a chance to make opening day roster like Saad did. However, 3-4 Rockford kids making up a 1/3 of your Fs is not a recipe for a cup.

Big week ahead......lets hope the insiders are wrong and that cap number is well above 73 million.....otherwise, Stan's job gets even more difficult.

ChrisKuc's avatar
Chris Kuc
@ChrisKuc
#Blackhawks' home opener will be Oct. 12 vs. Blues.
The rest of the schedule will be announced at noon on Tuesday.
- golfbard

Now there is some motivation....